Greatest of all time? NBA 2K12 lets you settle those basketball debates (preview)

We’ve had this conversation before. I say the 1971-72 Lakers are the greatest team ever, and you reply that the 1995-96 Bulls were better. I respond, saying my team had Hall of Famers at nearly every position. You point out that Jordan and company had a record-setting 72-win season. The debate escalates and you eventually yell: “Let’s take it outside!” A parking lot fistfight ensues and someone has to call the police.

But that doesn’t have to happen anymore. We live in a more civilized time, one where video games can settle our differences. We don’t have to argue over hypothetical matchups; we can let them play out virtually. That’s one of the ideas driving NBA 2K12.

Incorporating more of the classic teams, Visual Concepts expands on the concept of re-creating the impressive matchups of the past. They did such a good job with the Jordan Challenge last year that they broadened that vision to “15 of the most influential and game-defining players the NBA has ever seen,” according to producer Erick Boenisch.

THE GREATEST MODE: Last week, I had a chance to check out a few of them in The Greatest mode along with another journalist, who happened to be a Celtics fan. When offered a chance to check out these NBA legends, which include Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jbbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, John Stockton and Isaiah Thomas, I drifted toward my favorite — Magic Johnson and the Celtics fan picked Larry Bird. That’s par for the course.

The two stars of the 1980s will also grace the cover of NBA 2K12 for a limited time. Fans of the longtime rivals will have to snatch up these covers before they run out. If they don’t, they’ll have to settle for the common Jordan image on the box. (Yes, he’s on it again, too.)

MINOR GAMEPLAY CHANGES: From the outset, you can tell that there are slight improvements but no major revisions to NBA 2K12. You’ll notice that the animation is smoother. Visual Concepts seems to constantly add more and more mo-cap to the franchise each year. The result is a fluid experience. You even get to see players now run into the stand or hop over the scorerkeeper’s table.

Gameplay-wise the biggest change is to the post-up game. Now players press the Y button to take their opponent to the low block. That’s it. The move frees up player’s fingers so that they can press other buttons for moves like fadeaways, hook shots or up-and-unders. It’ll definitely help when you have Abdul-Jabbar. That sky hook is a powerful weapon. It’s just one of several signature moves that each legend has. When it comes to Dr. J, he has his swooping up and under move. Bird has his familiar jump shot while Magic has a plethora of no-look passes. Even Hakeem Olajuwon boasts his dream shake. But NBA 2K12 goes further than just letting you use the 15 legends and their teams. They need some notable opponents and Visual Concepts made sure the matchups were interesting. Many feature unique superstars of their own. For example, if you pick West’s Lakers, you go up against “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s Hawks team. If those Lakers end up beating those Hawks, players get access to them.

A BASKETBALL TIME MACHINE: Going even further, Visual Concepts tries to emulate the broadcasts of each time period. That means picking Russell’s Celtics will lead you to a grainy black-and-white presentation replete with the large over-sized fonts that you’d see in old recordings. The vintage quality even extends to the announcers, who have the radio crackle and static in their voices.

The 1970s teams have an updated look. It still looks grainy like the black-and-white 1960s except now it’s in faded colors. The 1980s broadcast look more modern except for the big fonts and shot clock on the screen.

More importantly, as you move through the different eras, the rules and floor changes. In the 1960s and 70s, there wasn’t a three-point line and that made the game move closer to the basket. There really was no reason for shooting from downtown. In addition, the play styles change from each year. Don’t expect to see many high-flying dunks in the 60s. Visual Concepts nails these nice touches, making the experience feel more authentic.

PLAY-BY-PLAY AND FLOORS: As for the play-by-play, the announcers Steve Kerr and Kevin Harlan give a more historic outlook on the games. The matchups are just general games and don’t go into much specifics about the time. (You won’t be playing Game 2 of the NBA Finals or anything like that.) The commentary is more explanatory in nature, a history lesson into why Wilt was so dominant or why West was named Mr. Clutch.

Lastly and I can’t emphasize this enough, the game is super-detailed when it comes to re-creating the teams and environments of their respective eras. Visual Concepts said the teams are done accurately up to the 10th player or so. That means all the starters will look like their real-life counterparts along with a few bench players.

When it comes to the arenas, the developers couldn’t buy the rights to a building, but they could do the next best thing: duplicate the looks of the court. You’ll see a floor resembling the Great Western Forum in there along with the old Boston Garden death-trap parquet. There’s even a Spectrum-like floor for the 76ers and Dr. J.

The one thing I wish you could do with all these classic players is mix and match them. I would love to put together the original Dream Team though that would be hard without Charles Barkeley. He and his Phoenix Suns team aren’t in this game, and that’s disappointing, especially for hard-core NBA fans. 2K Sports says it was a creative decision.

Despite that, Visual Concepts dedication to detail will make my hypothetical NBA matchups seem more real. I can put Bird’s Celtics against Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavs. Those two have such similar jump shots that it’s scary. Or I could see Russell vs. Jordan in a contest of champions. I can see a lot of arguments being solved by the game and a lot less fights when it comes out Oct. 4.